Black Friday Shopping Sparks Arrests & Fights Across The Country

While workers at Wal-Mart were busy protesting, Black Friday shoppers all around the country went forward with their post-Thanksgiving holiday plans, some of which resulted in arrests.

Two teens were arrested in Portland, Maine for fighting inside a Foot Locker store at the Maine Mall, while a Florida woman was taken into custody for throwing merchandise inside a Wal-Mart store.

Mohamud Mohamed, 18, was charged with disorderly conduct and violating the terms of a previous jail release, after he fought, Steve Alphonse, also 18. Alphonse was also charged with disorderly conduct.

According to South Portland Police Lt. Todd Bernard, the brawl occurred at around 1:15 a.m. Friday (Nov. 23). Three other people were involved in the fight, but authorities are unsure what led to the disagreement.

The teens were both taken to Cumberland County Jail and released early Friday.

Officers had their hands full inside the Maine Mall, dealing with several shoplifters, and a man who fainted inside the lingerie section in Macy’s, but was told to move along.

Over in Almonte Springs, Fla. a Wal-Mart shopper was arrested at a for allegedly throwing merchandise. Samantha Chavez, 28, was busted Thursday (Nov. 22) night, also on a disorderly conduct charge. Police witnessed Chavez repeatedly trying to cut a line, after being told not to do so. While being escorted out of the store, Chavez began throwing her merchandise, and was wrestled to the ground for not complying with police orders, as she screamed “I didn’t do anything!”

Chavez was taken to the Seminole County Jail, and later released after posting $550 bond.

Elsewhere around the country, a man in Massachussets is facing a reckless endangerment charge for leaving his girlfriend’s two-year-old child in the car while he went inside a local K-Mart to buy a 51-inch TV. He claims that he brought the toddler inside the store, but that the child got lost somehow. Security alerted police to the incident, and they were able to catch up with the suspect at his home, but are unsure how he made it back without actually getting back into the Nissan Versa that he drove to the store.

In San Antonio, a man pulled a gun out on another man who punched him in the face while they were both waiting in line at Sears, and at a Seattle Wal-Mart a senior citizen was arrested and charged with vehicular assault for hitting two shoppers with his SUV. Police believe the man, 71, was intoxicated at the time of the incident.